I have my own way of marking special occasions and holidays. It’s a little something I do to remind my family and friends how much they mean to me.

I get sick. Sweet, right?

After a lovely Golden Week (although a bit hectic with Craig off work and me not), I decided to get the flu and spend much of this week on the couch laying in the one position that didn’t make me nauseous watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory on Netflix and getting woefully behind on everything else. Thankfully, I’m feeling like myself again today although a bit fatigued and wanted to get back to sharing what we’ve been up to lately.

One of the ways Craig “leans in” is to accompany me to fashion exhibitions. He’s been to a couple at the Met with me in NYC and so when the Paris Haute Couture exhibition (see what I couldn’t photograph here) opened at the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, I knew I could count on him to tag along with me last week. I mean, he got a week off work, right? What’s spending an hour looking at some dresses with your soon-to-be-infected wife?

As soon as we walked in, I was in heaven. All the big names were there from the start of couture back in the late 19th century with Charles Frederick Worth up to the present with the work of Karl Lagerfeld, Raf Simons and Jean-Paul Gaultier (his is the blue gown in the top photo from 2006). Chanel and Dior and Lanvin, oh my! I always love looking at couture up close because of the incredible detail and care that goes into making these one-of-a-kind garments. I can only imagine what it must have been like to step out in one of these custom designs knowing not a single soul had the same one and that it couldn’t possibly fit better.

Ah, to dream . . .

Sadly, we could only photograph this one room, but it was full of fashion treasures.

In a city constantly under construction, it’s nice to be in a building with history (not that Tokyo is void of it, of course).

A bit about the museum.

Lanvin, 1928.

Chanel, 1937 and 1930 and Madeleine Vionnet, 1932.

Robert Piguet, 1939.

Madeliene Vionnet, 1934 and Alaïa, 2014.

Lucile Paray, 1933.

The gift shop featured plenty of couture-quality materials for creating your own one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

I wouldn’t classify this weekend as terribly exciting, but it was incredibly productive. We finished up more moving business (I cannot believe we’re still not done) and did some major damage to my to-do list. Every once in a while, you need a weekend like that, but we’re hoping this coming one will see us getting back to exploring Tokyo.

This past week, to cap off February, I also contributed to my next charity, the Human Rights Campaign, somewhere I’ve wanted to make a donation to for some time. Spread love <3

This past Sunday, Craig and I took some time to walk around our new neighborhood. We located the essentials — grocery store, convenience store, closest train station, etc. — and enjoyed a tasty lunch. We sat at our table at Weekend Garage Tokyo, whose delicious burger is shown above, let out a sigh of relief and just allowed ourselves to relax. This new neighborhood already feels like home.

The rest of my sights for the week include more recent explorations, a couple of good luck charms I’ve spotted around and a very special birthday boy.

Our new neighborhood has no shortage of hills.

Some very pretty — and delicious — hummus.

The first signs of spring are starting to appear. I’m taking this to be a good sign.

Spotted in the lobby of our current building.

And last, but certainly not least, we’re wishing a very happy third birthday to our sweet nephew, Nolan!

Weekly Web Tacks are back! This year, I’m going to continue sharing my favorite web reads each week, including interesting posts and articles about Japan as much as possible. I hope they provide some quality material for the water cooler, break room or dinner table. Thanks for reading!

Today is one of my favorites of the holiday season: Cyber Monday. For the Type A, getting to sit down and blow through an entire to-do list in one session is perfection. I used to always put my holiday shopping off until Christmas Eve, which was especially funny since I worked in retail, but not anymore. Living far away, shipping everything is easier than carrying it back anyway. I finalized my list over the weekend so I’m ready to go.

I hope your week is off to a productive start. Enjoy my web finds for the week and keep your fingers crossed our bank doesn’t call.

Getting back into the swing of things after having company in town is never easy, but doing so with a new travel deadline looming is even harder. Thankfully, the incessant rain and grey skies last week here in Tokyo made shacking up with my laptop seem less like hibernation and more like the perfect excuse to check some items off my to-do list. Now I finally feel like I have my head above water.

Sorry for the lack of web tacks last week, so here are my web tacks for your enjoyment!

This afternoon we’re off to Okinawa to pay a visit to the island Craig’s grandfather called home decades ago as a member of the U.S. military. I’m so glad he and his mother get to share this special experience together — one I’m sure they never thought they would have.

I’ll be posting from Okinawa, but for now, here are my web tacks for the week:

Man, the past week was pretty insane, but in a good way. I’ve gotten to spend time with both sides of the family, attended my cousin’s lovely wedding and caught up with some friends. My schedule is pretty packed for the remainder of my trip which has, unfortunately, led to some nights of very little sleep. No complaints, though — it’s a great problem to have to feel so loved by all these wonderful people who want to spend time with you. I couldn’t ask for more.

After Craig and I first announced our move to Japan, a good friend of ours who had visited Tokyo before sent along lots of wonderful tips, but one stood out to me right away: The Japanese aren’t fond of tattoos.

As someone who’d only had limited exposure to Japanese culture, I was shocked. I thought about all the street style blogs I looked at showcasing edgy trendsetters and I couldn’t believe tattoos would be frowned upon. Like anyone with body art, my five tattoos (none of which are particularly large) all have very special meanings. I got them to commemorate a person, lesson or life experience that has shaped me. The thought of someone seeing them as dirty in some way hurt me at first.

So, I did some research. While tattoos have represented a variety of things to the Japanese people throughout this country’s history, tattoos have widely been associated with criminals and members of the organized crime world in Japan, known as yakuza. In earlier centuries, criminals were tattooed to mark them for their past crimes and identify them as offenders. The yakuza adopted this tradition themselves and tattoos became a way to represent their affiliation with the organization, which exists to this day. But ordinary people got them too. Tattoos were actually illegal in Japan from the mid to late 1800s until just after World War II.

Today, tattoos in Japan are very much legal, but a stigma still remains. Tattoos are prohibited in many public and private pools, gyms and spas. Some dining establishments or bars will also hang signs stating tattoos must be covered.

I’ll admit, at times, it’s been very frustrating. For Valentine’s Day, I tried to find a spa in central Tokyo for us to spend the day. I checked smaller places up to four-star hotels and while some had a very clear no-tattoo policy, what really threw me were those that said they permitted tattoos, but if another guest complained, you could be asked to leave without a refund for incomplete services. I would personally feel less comfortable with someone entering a shared onsen covered in bandages, but again, where I come from, the attitude toward body art is much different. Beyond that, I’ve picked up on a bit trepidation from sales staff when I’m shopping in more upscale places, like the department stores in Ginza, so I do my best to be polite and friendly, as always. I’ve never been denied service.

More often than not, however, I’ve had very pleasant encounters about my tattoos here. I’ve never had someone be rude to me and I’ve gotten multiple compliments on the flower tattooed on my right wrist (a magnolia for my mother and sister). More than one person has touched it, believe it or not.

My best recommendation is to call ahead when booking a spa service or making a reservation at a resort that has a pool or onsen (hot springs). Some will say you can use the facilities as long as tattoos are covered with a bandage, but you should also expect others to prohibit entry outright. When it’s warmer out and I have on a tank top or dress that shows my tattoos, I try to carry a sweater with me to throw on if necessary. Be prepared and never be afraid to ask — you’ll end up saving yourself time, stress and possibly money.

I’m seeing more and more tattoos around town, mostly on men. A lot of women here actually wear flesh-colored tights with tattoo-like prints on them, which gives me the impression tattoos are becoming more acceptable. When you’re in neighborhoods like Shibuya, where trendier crowds can be found, you certainly see more tattoos.

I certainly don’t feel I need to hide or change who I am to live in Japan, but I have to remember to take a step back and put opinions about things like tattoos in their proper social context before getting upset.

[Today’s photo credit goes to Stefano, for capturing some of my ink this weekend.]

This year is turning out to be a busier one for me on the work front and I’m really looking forward to sharing my new projects here. We’re also in the final countdown until my parents arrive, so I’m going to be putting the finishing touches on our schedule for while they’re in town. We’ll be returning to some favorite sites as well as checking out a few new ones, so stay tuned.

I’m excited to share my snaps from Kanamara Matsuri later today, so be sure to check back. They’re pretty unforgettable. For now, enjoy my web tacks for the week.

Want to use a public pool in Japan? You better read this first. [Savvy Tokyo]